England defender Lucy Bronze is helping the “shy” and “misinterpreted” Lauren James navigate the increasingly bright spotlight shining on the 21-year-old after her historic turn at the World Cup.
The Chelsea forward became the first England player to be involved in five or more goals in a match at either a men’s or women’s World Cup when she scored twice and added three assists in the Lionesses’ 6-1 win over China on Tuesday.
Bronze, one of just two England players to have featured in the last three World Cups, has found a kindred spirit in inquisitive debutant James who is a decade her junior.
She said: “When she came into her first camp she was already asking me a lot of questions about things that other players didn’t ask. I think we have formed a bond, we are in similar situations.
“I was thrust into the limelight in a different way but I can help give her advice. I can help keep her feet on the ground but she is good at that anyway. She’s someone like myself who gets misinterpreted a little bit by other players or the media because she hasn’t always got a smile on her face.
“She is quite shy like I used to be. She reminds me so much of myself when I was younger. She is shy but she believes in herself a lot. She’s a lovely girl and wants the team to do well more than anything.”
James perhaps is the epitome of a player who wants her football to do the talking. Gracious but succinct, her answers to the two questions allowed by organisers in the post-match press conference lasted all of a combined 57 words.
Writing in the Times, ex-Manchester United manager Casey Stoney, who signed James as a 16-year-old, also remembered her as someone who “never enjoyed the spotlight” with a “laid-back personality” that sometimes worked against her when others mistakenly believed that meant the Londoner did not “want it” enough.
Bronze knows just what it is like to make a headline-grabbing impact on football’s biggest stage.
In 2015, then 23 and playing in her first World Cup, Bronze broke a 1-1 deadlock in the 76th minute against Norway to fire the Lionesses into the quarter-finals and hand them a first-ever win in the knockout stage.
Third place in Canada that year remains England’s best-ever finish at the global showpiece, and Bronze knows it will take more than one person for the European Champions to upgrade their silverware in 2023.
She said: “I can’t expect LJ to score in every game and turn in performances like she did against China in every game. She is still young and she’s still getting to grips with playing at the highest level, but you have seen her at Chelsea and she has delivered some fantastic performances.
“We don’t just rely on LJ, we’ve got other players who can step up, but she is fantastic. I know how much quality she has. She has definitely announced herself on the world stage, but this is just the beginning.”
Group D winners England have returned to their Terrigal, New South Wales training base and will on Sunday fly to Brisbane ahead of their meeting with Nigeria in the last 16 the following day.
While the status of midfielder Keira Walsh remains unknown, she has stayed in Australia after sustaining a knee injury in England’s 1-0 victory over Denmark in the group stage.
England boss Sarina Wiegman got creative in Walsh’s absence, employing a 3-5-2 system that seemed to spark the Lionesses to life against China.
While words like ‘dominant’ and ‘consistent’ are often used as descriptors for world number four side England, Wiegman has with one inspired decision added unpredictability into the mix.
Bronze added: “Keira is irreplaceable, there isn’t anyone who can do what she does in the world.
“A lot of teams have studied England, they have wanted to beat England being the European champions. We have shuffled things about a little bit and it keeps other teams on their toes.
“They don’t know what to expect, it makes us unpredictable.
“If Keira does come back and play, who is to say how we will play?”
Postecoglou praises Pochettino's success at Spurs
Ange Postecoglou says Mauricio Pochettino’s time at Tottenham was a success despite him not winning any trophies.
Spurs will face their former manager’s Chelsea side at Stamford Bridge on Thursday, with both teams needing points in the race for a top-seven finish.
Pochettino led Spurs to a Champions League final and three consecutive top-three finishes in the Premier League during his five-year spell between 2014 and 2019.
The Argentinian failed to lift a trophy in his time at the club, but Postecoglou thinks it is unfair to use that as a baseline for Pochettino’s success.
"I mean it's a funny one you know because if all we measure sort of success on is just trophies, then okay. You know, but I don't think that's what life's about,” he said.
"I think anyone who doesn't think that Mauricio's five and a half years here were successful, doesn't really appreciate, I think, football for what it is because, you know, to get to the Champions League final, to, you know, come runners-up in the toughest league in the world.
"There's no silverware but in my mind, particularly the way he developed that group, I think he was a success.
"This is the business we're in and we get measured by – most of us get measured by other things so we've got to accept that."
Spurs have not won a trophy this season, but they are still in the race for a Champions League spot and sit seven points behind Aston Villa with two games in hand.
Asked about his own success in his first season at the club, he added: "They're not questions I need to ask, or I need to sort of investigate.
"As I said, I go by what I see now, today, what's important to me today. What's important to me is how the lads train and get ready for a big game."
Rangnick turns down Bayern to stay in Austria job
Ralf Rangnick has confirmed he will remain in charge of Austria's national team beyond Euro 2024, having turned down Bayern Munich's interest.
Rangnick confirmed last week that Bayern had been in touch regarding the possibility of him taking over ahead of next season.
Bayern are aiming to fill an impending void, with current coach Thomas Tuchel set to leave the club at the end of the campaign.
But Rangnick has now confirmed he will be staying put, though he insisted he did not "reject" Bayern.
"I am national team coach of Austria with all my heart," he said in a statement released by the Austrian Football Association (OFB).
"This task brings me a lot of joy and I am determined to continue down the road we have started.
"I want to clearly stress that this is not a rejection of Bayern Munich but rather a decision for my team and our common goals."
"We are fully focused on the Euro. We will do everything we can to go far."
There have been calls from some Bayern fans for Tuchel to stay in charge, with some going as far as to sign a petition.
Bayern wanted to appoint Xabi Alonso as Tuchel's successor, but the former midfielder has elected to stay with Bayer Leverkusen.
While Leverkusen stormed to the Bundesliga title to end Bayern's 11-year dominance of the competition, Tuchel's team can still salvage silverware in the form of the Champions League.
Bayern head into the second leg of their semi-final tie with Real Madrid on the back of a 2-2 draw in Munich in Tuesday's first leg.
Dortmund boss Terzic not surprised by Sancho's quality
Borussia Dortmund coach Edin Terzic said he was not surprised by Jadon Sancho's quality after the on-loan forward helped the German side to a 1-0 win over Paris Saint-Germain in the first-leg tie of their Champions League semi-final.
Sancho joined Manchester United from Dortmund for 85 million euros ($91.11 million) in August 2021 but failed to hold down a regular spot and returned to Germany after becoming embroiled in a row with manager Erik ten Hag.
After impressing on the right wing against PSG, Terzic said he always sees Sancho's quality in training.
"It's maybe not so easy to bring it onto the field, especially when you haven't had rhythm for a while," he told reporters.
"We know his quality, and we saw it again today. We knew we needed a performance like that from Jadon."
Dortmund bagged the winner in the 36th minute through Niclas Fullkrug to take a slim advantage going into Tuesday's return leg in Paris.
Despite winning the first leg, Terzic knows that the tie is still all to play for in the second leg.
"We showed a very good game, a narrow win but a deserved one. It was a great teamwork performance that got us there. We wanted that small advantage. We know next week will most likely be tougher than today," he said in a press conference.
"This is just half-time and next week will be a different story. It won't be easy to deal with their power play in front of a home crowd. We felt it today from the 45th to the 60th minute.
"We felt their quality. We showed our best game against PSG, but next week they will have a euphoric backing of their fans, and they will want to turn the tie around.
It is a victory that, coupled with Bayern Munich’s draw with Real Madrid on Tuesday, secures Germany a fifth automatic Champions League spot next season.
"We wanted to qualify for the Champions League through the Bundesliga and not this way. But the fact that it will be enough to qualify as fifth is also partly down to our success, our contribution," Terzic added.
"Our minimum goal was to qualify for the Champions League. Now it [added spot] does not improve our Bundesliga season, but it does offer a softer landing."
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